PASSED AWAY: Singer Georgi Minasyan, honored artist of the republic, died June 29. The artist was born in 1942 in Sochi, graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire and the Opera department of Moscow State Theatre Institute.

In the late 90-ies he moved to the USA. There he composed many new songs, including "Glory to Our Nation" a kind of a hymn for Diaspora. Georgi Minasyan was awarded the title of the Best Armenian Singer at the US Armenian Music Awards annual festival. He was in Armenia on 2002 celebrating his 60 th jubilee.

ART OF SELF- PORTRAITS: A self-portrait exhibition, the first of its kind, is underway at the Artists Union of Armenia through July 7. More than 155 self–portraits of modern Armenian artists are exhibited. Among many artists are Anatoly Avetyan, Karen Smbatyan, Eduard Vardanyan, Eduard Isabekian and others.

VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF KOMITAS : A new website, www.komitas.am , dedicated to Armenian composer Komitas opened June 29. “UNISON” the public service union, in cooperation with the Open Society Institute, spent six months collecting information about the composer’s life, activity, mysterious illness and death. The website is in Armenian, Russian and English.

On Yerevan Stages …

July 3 National Opera and Ballet Theatre, first time in Armenia concert of Indian film star Ila Arun and his dance & song group, presented by Embassy of India. Ticket cost 1000-3000 AMD

A priest blesses a bowl of Armenian apricots prior to the opening of
the Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan on June 30. The fruit was handed out to guests at the opening ceremony at the city's Moscow Cinema.